iHealth, Withings both launch iPhone-connected blood pressure monitors

There are lots of solid therapeutic approaches to treating hypertension (high blood pressure), and they range in cost and complexity all the way from free and easy up to expensive and elaborate. While it might cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat a heart attack, it’s much simpler and cheaper to focus on prevention through diet or medication — plus monitoring blood pressure every day to make sure the plan is working as expected.

Cheap and easy sounds good, but getting it done is another matter. “When dealing with patients and asking them to make a lifestyle change, one of the biggest problems is compliance,” says Dr. Andrew Brandeis, a San Francisco physician. “I can either give you a pill for your blood pressure or tell you to eat less salt, and one of them is going to be easier than the other — one of them is better than the other. But getting people to exercise more, to eat less salt; it’s not always easy to get them to do what they need to do.”

That’s why Brandeis is excited about the new iHealth blood pressure monitoring system, introduced today in the runup to CES; competitor Withings has also announced a similar product. Both cuffs provide a new level of convenience to the digital blood pressure monitor market, enabling far more granular intraday measurements that let you know exactly how various daily activities (a meal, a cup of coffee) affect your inner equilibrium.

Gallery: iHealth Blood Pressure Monitor for iPhone/iPad